Buchanan Dam began producing hydroelectric power in January 1938. Buchanan Dam, owned by Lower Colorado River Authority, creates Lake Buchanan.

Stretching for more than two miles, Buchanan is considered the longest multiple-arch dam in the nation.

Buchanan lake and dam were built primarily to store water and supply hydroelectricity. Construction on Buchanan Dam began in 1931, but shut down in 1932 when the original builder named Insull went bankrupt. Buchanan Dam was renamed in 1937 for U.S. Rep. J.P. Buchanan, who helped secure federal funds to complete the project. It was originally named Hamilton Dam.

The Lower Colorado River Authority began completing construction of the dam in 1935 and completed construction in 1937. Buchanan Dam was officially dedicated on October 16, 1937, and began producing hydroelectric power in January 1938.

Hi Olive's Granddaughter! Thanks so much for your comment. Marie Reed has some incredible postcards at Cpaphil Vintage Postcards and a Postcard Friendship Friday submission form. Join the fun. Also, check out Evelyn Theriault's A Festival of Postcards. She has just had the first of many themed Festivals.

Thanks so much, Marie! I googled Buchanan Dam from their Maps option and when that map appeared on the screen, it had a "Link To" option in a bar across the top of the map that I clicked. It gave me HTML code to insert into my blog post. Voilà!

Now you're getting closer to my old stomping grounds! I grew up just east of Austin, and then lived in Austin during the 70s (that's another story!). Luv the Google map -- I'll be using that idea! I've been on Google maps several times this week trying to find that spot in Lynn, Mass. that I refer to in my PFF this week. Still looking . . .

Thanks Vickie. Did you go to UT while in Austin? My son lives in Round Rock. They love the proximity to the city. I love the proximity to the hill country! Aren't those Google maps great? I saw your post about Lynn. I hope you are able to locate it with Google.

Do you know if the "Vanishing River Cruises" are still being offered on Lake Buchanan? We drove down to Georgetown for the night and drove out to the lake for a morning/lunch cruise maybe 24/25 years ago - seems only last week because of the memories of that cold morning when we hoped to see all the eagles that winter around the lake (they are there maybe from late Dec. to the possibly the end of Feb.), but all we saw were old vultures! (big old buzzards. . . ) Lunch was quiche, fruit and a cookie, but the trip to Falls Creek Vinyards was a wine tasting event. The vinyard owners bring a little boat out to ferry the cruising visitors to land and then it was a nice size hike up thru the mushy weeds to the back of their property(worth the trip just to visit the winery and beautiful home). A person was on his own at getting his purchased bottle/bottles of wine back to the boat. One man bought a case (or at least he struggled with this big box as if it were filled! to walk and hang on to that box!)

We were told by the riverboat captain that the lake is filling up with silt and they feared the lake would soon be non-existent.

If anyone is interested in locating the cruise boat docks - if they still exist-, we went west on hwy 29 out of Georgetown and followed the narrow winding road north off 29 some miles past Burnet (this is pronounced "Burn it", and if you don't pronounce it as such you will be corrected!bettye woodhull

Hi Bettye,Thanks for the wonderful description of your visit to Lake Buchanan and the cruise along the Colorado. As far as I know they are still offering cruises on the lake. Check the link Vanishing Texas River Cruise and give them a call. It's a beautiful place.

Judith, thanks for making the correction on the name of the river cruises on Lake Buchanan. I remembered the correct name after I hit that little send button that gets us into trouble, sometimes! An aged brain can only remember "just so much!" about times so long ago. . . .

I did visit their link, and saw that they show a couple of the large eagles, but non of the ugly vultures which were so prominent the day we cruised the river.

BTW, the Falls Creek Vinyards are located near the little town of Tow and until I checked the atlas again, I hadn't realized how one got to Tow; however, it appears that "a trail" leads south out of Colorado Bend State Park, and a county road northeast from Llano thru Lone Grove will take you there. bettye

Oh, Lydia, you are too kind! I'm so pleased you like my blog and that you've added a Google map to one of your own posts. I learned that little trick from some of my cemetery rabbit friends! Have you checked any of them out? You might find them interesting. If you like that sort of history check out The Graveyard Rabbit. My cemetery blogs are Cemeteries with Texas Ties and Cemeteries of the Covered Bridges.

Hi Bettye,I thought that might be the same cruise you took, but wasn't sure. There may be other ones that operate on the lake. I didn't know where Falls Creek Vineyards were located. I have several wine bottles from there (I've made some into night lights!) and have driven through Llano on the way to the Frio River. I'll have to check that out next time.

Homsley Reunion, Seymour, Texas

Shiloh Baptist Church in 1736 ~ Camden County, North Carolina

Original Wooden Building ~ Click on Picture to go to Camden County's Homepage.

HOMESLEY CONNECTIONS

Several of my Richards family cousins have a copy of Carrie Homesley Cunningham's book, "Historical Record of the Holmesley Family." My dad gave me his copy before he died. In Len and Greg's post, "Homsley Stories", a reader tells them how Mrs. Cunningham came to his family farm when he was a boy in Arkansas and talked to his father about genealogy and then came back, delivering her printed book by car to different families that had ordered several copies!

You'll find other gems in this wonderful article on Glenn Gabbard's ancestry which is Homesley ~ the same as mine, and Len's and Greg's.﻿